


Behind the Mask of a Liar

by crowspancakes



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Bullying, Depression, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, Parent Death, Past Relationship(s), Self-Harm, Sexual Humor, Slow Burn, past ouma kokichi/amami rantaro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:34:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowspancakes/pseuds/crowspancakes
Summary: Kokichi had been wearing his mask for his whole life, could a collision with a blue haired detective change that?
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Iruma Miu, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. Prologue - It Started With Five

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys!! this is my first fic i’ve published on here so i’m a bit nervous, i hope you guys like it! this will have multiple chapters so please be patient with me :-)

It was just another ordinary day, nothing out of the usual. Well, that’s what Kokichi thought anyway.   
He was crawling through an alleyway with a bag of stolen cakes from a local bakery slung over his shoulder. He was just about to make it out the other side until he suddenly rammed into a man walking in the opposite direction on the sidewalk. Both men fell backwards and Kokichi fell back, crushing the cakes beneath him. Kokichi’s temper rose and he jolted back to his feet and just when he was about to scream at this clumsy asshole until he realized how... pretty he was.  
The blue haired man across from him was still groaning lying on his back and Kokichi rolled his eyes.  
“Wow, you’re soOOoo clumsy!” he taunted, crossing his arms while letting out a dramatic sigh. 

“A-ren’t you the one who flew out of the alley like that? you didn’t even look to see if anyone was coming before slamming into me like that.” the man stuttered sheepishly as he stood to his feet.

Kokichi let out an irritated whine, “You’re the one who got in my way!”

Kokichi grinned as he could tell the other man was steadily growing annoyed. He expected him to just walk away but instead the other man took a deep breath.

“Sir, it was you. I was just walking down this sidewalk trying to read my reports for the day and like a torpedo out of nowhere you just shot in front of me out of this random alleyway and you seem to be carrying a bag of—what... is that?”

The man stopped speaking and only then did Kokichi realize his whole back half of his body was dripping with frosting. He turned and noticed all 5 cakes he had been carrying were in ruins beneath him—and on him. Kokichi’s anger rose and he sniffed angrily, he stomped over to the taller man and pointed his finger up at his face. He opened his mouth to speak but then he was drawn into the man’s panda-like eyes. They were a soft yellow tone and his eyelashes were so long and pretty. Kokichi grasped to find words but he was still locked into the other’s gaze.

“S-sir, why are you staring at me like that?” the man spoke, breaking Kokichi out of his spell.

Kokichi stood back abruptly and quickly regained composure.

“You know, mister. You’ve made a huge mistake.” he spoke in a dark tone as his face sunk to a demonic expression.

The blue haired man started to sweat nervously.

“These cakes were imported from a fine bakery in Paris and are worth hundreds and thousands of yen. I was bringing them to my boss, the president’s son. You’re going to have to pay for them, or else we’ll send his yakuza over to your place and slice you up!” Kokichi threatened with a smug grin.

“Those cakes are from a bakery 3 blocks from here.” the other man dead-panned.

Kokichi’s mouth gaped open for a moment before he clamped it shut. How did this ditsy guy figure that out so quickly?! He sure didn’t tack this one out for brains. So this guy was pretty and had brains huh... interesting. This could be fun. It wasn’t often Kokichi met someone who could challenge him.

“OoooOo, how did you figure that one out, Mr. Detective?” Kokichi taunted in a sleazy voice.

“Because I’m a detective.” he said frankly.

Once again Kokichi was stunned. He searched the man’s face of a lie but there were no indicators. This man really was a detective. Oh no. Oh that’s not good. This was going to be even more interesting than he originally anticipated.

Tears welled up in Kokichi’s eyes, “Well, maybe they weren’t for the president. But they weeeere for my dying grandmother. Her final wish was to taste the different cakes from Rantaro’s Bakery and you ripped that away from her! WWWAAAAHHHH!”

Kokichi began to cry loud crocodile tears and had snot hanging from his nose. The other man nervously looked around to see if anyone else was around, believing that he was genuinely crying. 

“S-sir I—“ the other man started right as he came to a sudden stop.

“But that’s a lie, ni-shi-shii~” Kokichi snickered.

The blue haired man did not seem to find it funny. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see the receipts of those cakes you purchased,” he said dryly. 

Kokichi laughed again and started holding his hand over his chest doubling over in laughter. The other man stood there silently, with a look of irritation across his face.

“Look, Mr. Detective. This has been such a lovely meeting but I’m afraid if I stick around too long you’ll fall in love with me.” he said with a cat-like grin tracing the other man’s chin with his index finger.

He didn’t miss the blush that passed over the other man’s face as he did this.

“I really must go, my evil organization awaits my presence. Until we meet again, my handsome detective!” Kokichi said while executing a dramatic bow.

Without a second to lose he dropped the remains of the cakes and bolted back through the alleyway leaving the other man in dust. He thought he heard the other man yell something but he droned it out. The faster he ran the faster his heart pumped, he finally took a quick breath after running down a few more blocks. His heart was still pumping furiously, what on earth was going on? Then he leaned back against the brick wall and closed his violet eyes. The detective he had just met’s picture was just lingering in his brain. He was so handsome with his teal droopy bangs and his tired looking panda eyes. Since when was emo his type?   
He laughed to himself, there was no way he would have a crush on some random pretty-boy that he met on the sidewalk. Kokichi didn’t do crushes. He didn’t do love. It was all fun and games to him, well that’s how he made himself believe, at least. Letting people in had never been a good decision from his past, why would that change from a random stranger?  
Once Kokichi regained his bearings he was about to head to his organization D.I.C.E’s headquarters until he realized it. He clutched at this neck and was horrified to realize his black and white checkered handkerchief was missing. He panicked and started searching the garbage cans surrounding him and there was no trace of it. Had it flown off when he was running? Kokichi sighed. They had plenty of extras at the headquarters, it wasn’t much of a loss.


	2. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the official meeting... what could happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s the first official chapter! i’m so excited and would love to hear your feedback :-) thanks for reading!

Shuichi let out a deep sigh as he rustled through the files he was carrying. Ever since becoming an official detective under Commissioner Kirigiri his workload had increased, but not so much in a good way. All of the cases he had been working on were petty crimes, things like people stealing makeup from a beauty store. He wanted to be working up with the higher leveled detectives but he hadn’t had enough in field experience yet.   
The weather was nice out on this fine Tuesday morning, he was ready to go sit and work at his favorite coffee shop just a block away. That was the plan, anyway.   
Without any warning, a purple figure flew into his side from the alley next to him. Both men collapsed and Shuichi’s head spun.

“Ughhh...” he groaned.

He looked up when he heard the other man snickering mischievously. The other man was short in stature, had messy deep violet hair with it styled out in all sorts of directions. His eyes were almost the exact same color as his hair. His smile was sneaky and his eyes tinted with deviousness but yet for some reason something was attractive about this man.

“Wow, you’re soOOoo clumsy!” the other man taunted, crossing his arms while letting out a dramatic sigh. He started twirling the long strands of his purple hair.

What?! How was it his fault? Shuichi had just been minding his own business when this disaster slammed into him, how was he the one at fault?

“A-ren’t you the one who flew out of the alley like that? you didn’t even look to see if anyone was coming before slamming into me like that.” Shuichi stuttered sheepishly as he stood to his feet.

The purple haired man let out an irritated whine, “You’re the one who got in my way!”

Now the man was pouting in a childlike manner and swaying back and forth. He was dressed in the most ridiculous fashion. His outfit almost looked like a straitjacket but with colorful buttons and chains on the side, he had a black and white checkered scarf that was hanging loosely on his neck. What a very... bizarre choice of fashion. Focus. The clothing wasn’t the problem, it was this behavior. It was obnoxious, to say the least. Shuichi could feel himself getting agitated. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“Sir, it was you. I was just walking down this sidewalk trying to read my reports for the day and like a torpedo out of nowhere you just shot in front of me out of this random alleyway and you seem to be carrying a bag of—what... is that?”

Shuichi was now aware of the fact that the man’s entire backside was covered in different colors of frosting and below him were the smashed remains of several cakes. This angered the little man before Shuichi could object and the smaller man huffed and stomped over to him. The man stuck his finger and pointed it right in his face and opened his mouth to speak but instead just stood there and stared at him intensely.  
Shuichi could feel his cheeks tint pink as he locked eyes with the other man. His eyes were such a deep and beautiful shade of purple, he’d never seen anything like them. He was looking at him with such intensity that Shuichi grew slightly nervous. 

“S-sir, why are you staring at me like that?” Shuichi spoke timidly. 

The other man seemed to snap out of a trance at this remark and immediately scooted backwards. The look on his face morphed into something unholy.

“You know, mister. You’ve made a huge mistake.” he spoke in a dark tone as his face sunk to a demonic expression.

Shuichi began to sweat nervously, what had he just gotten himself into? For such a childish—and attractive—man he was also a bit intimidating.

“These cakes were imported from a fine bakery in Paris and are worth hundreds and thousands of yen. I was bringing them to my boss, the president’s son. You’re going to have to pay for them, or else we’ll send his yakuza over to your place and slice you up!” the man threatened with a smug grin.

Shuichi looked down at the remains of the cakes below the other man. There was only one bakery in the nearby area and it was only 3 blocks away from the direction he had entered. It was the same as that of the bakery. He knew that all the cakes they sold were baked on site.

“Those are cakes from a bakery 3 blocks from here.” he dead-panned.

The other man was taken aback by this and Shuichi tried not to laugh at just how surprised this man was to be exposed for his lies. The look of surprise didn’t last long before morphing into something far more of a seductive approach.

“OoooOo, how did you figure that one out, Mr. Detective?” he taunted in a sleazy voice.

“Because I’m a detective.” Shuichi stated frankly.

Once again the man was shocked. He looked as if someone had swept a rug out from under him. Why was he acting so nervous about the fact that he was a detective?

Tears welled up in purple haired man’s eyes, “Well, maybe they weren’t for the president. But they weeeere for my dying grandmother. Her final wish was to taste the different cakes from Rantaro’s Bakery and you ripped that away from her! WWWAAAAHHHH!”

The man began to cry loud crocodile tears and had snot hanging from his nose. Shuichi nervously looked around to see if anyone else was around. The last thing he wanted was a bunch of strangers thinking he was bullying this man on the side of the road.

“S-sir I—“ Shuichi started right as he came to a sudden stop.

“But that’s a lie, ni-shi-shii~” the shorter man snickered.

Shuichi was not amused. He hadn’t even known this man for 5 minutes and he already was giving him a headache.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see the receipts of those cakes you purchased,” he said dryly. 

The other man laughed again and started holding his hand over his chest doubling over in laughter. Shuichi stood there silently, with a look of irritation across his face. Why was this guy so annoying? And yet he had no urge to leave, which he probably should have already done. The other man crept up closer to him once again.

“Look, Mr. Detective. This has been such a lovely meeting but I’m afraid if I stick around too long you’ll fall in love with me.” he said with a cat-like grin tracing the other man’s chin with his index finger.

Shuichi felt a warm tint on his cheeks and found himself feeling embarrassed. It was obvious by the other man’s girlish giggle that he noticed. Why did that affect him?

“I really must go, my evil organization awaits my presence. Until we meet again, my handsome detective!” the man said while executing a dramatic bow.

Before Shuichi could protest the man had already bolted off in a rush, in the process the checkered handkerchief flew off and hung in the air before collapsing into a pile of garbage nearby.

“Sir, your handkerchief!” he called out, but he knew the man was already far out of hearing range.

Why was he in such a rush to escape? Probably because he certainly didn’t pay for those cakes, it didn’t take a long encounter to realize this man was nothing but trouble.

Shuichi sighed and picked up the dirty handkerchief from the ground. He somehow had a feeling he was going to bump into him again, probably on purpose too and not from his end. This caused him to groan and yet at the same time he secretly hoped he would see him again. He didn’t even get to ask for his name, which given the circumstances was understandable. He noticed a small detailed “K” threaded in the corner of his handkerchief. Maybe with some detective skills he would be able to unravel this mystery.  
Shuichi mentally kicked himself for already wasting time focused on such a brief encounter with a complete stranger. Was this going to be good news or bad news?  
—  
The next morning Shuichi trudged his way down the same sidewalk from the previous day. When he passed that same alleyway he subconsciously turned to see if the short man with the purple hair would be there. Of course, he wasn’t. Shuichi sheepishly had carried the handkerchief in his backpack, just in case.  
He reached his coffee shop that he regularly visited at least 4 times a week and was surprised at the first thing he saw.  
In a corner booth he saw a girl with silver hair hanging in loose two pigtails with tan skin. Her eyes were bright blue with a look of delight remaining in every word she was saying, even though he couldn’t hear the conversation. Across the table was a man with purple hair and even though he was facing the opposite direction Shuichi had a pretty good feeling of who he was.   
He swallowed a dry lump in his throat and decided to work up the courage to walk over and speak to him. He had to return the handkerchief, that was the excuse he was telling himself.   
Shuichi nervously approached the two and let out a small “ahem” to get their attention. Sure enough, the man with the purple hair immediately turned to face him and Shuichi couldn’t detect the emotion that was expressed on his face. Was it shock? Dread? Pleasure?   
The girl with silver hair let out an obnoxious high pitched laugh.

“Nya-ha-ha!~ Atua wants to know how we can help you?” she asked cheerfully.

Atua?

“Ewww, Angie, we don’t speak to little emo boys, remember?” the purple man said while sticking out his tongue to mimic a gag.

“Little? I’m pretty sure I’m almost a foot taller than you.” Shuichi defended.

The silver haired girl laughed again as the other man’s face twisted in irritation. 

Shuichi began to examine the other man’s clothes today. He appeared to be in a fairly normal choice of fashion today in contrast to yesterday. He was wearing a black overcoat and baggy joggers with a checkered design. Huh, I guess he really likes checkers.

“A-anyway, you accidentally dropped your handkerchief yesterday and I just wanted to return it.” Shuichi said, reaching to pull the handkerchief out of his bag.

The girl and man exchanged nervous glances before the man regained his composure.

“Ugh, that’s so tacky! I would never wear something like that.” the purple haired man said with a look of disgust.

Shuichi was stunned. Why would he say such a blatant and obvious lie? 

“You can’t be serious. There was no one else around and I saw you wear it. I tried to give it back before you rushed off so quickly.” Shuichi protested.

“Ooooh, so you two have met before? Nya-ha-ha, that’s so cute!” The girl chided, clearly intending to rile up the other man.

The smaller man childishly stuck out his tongue at her and this only made her laugh again. She definitely was far more obnoxious than the man and that was saying something.

“Shut it, Angie! It was truly tragic, I normally would never associate with someone like him.” the man said with a dramatic sigh as he sunk down into the booth.

Why did that somewhat hurt Shuichi’s feelings? It was stupid to get worked up over something like that, and yet here he was.

“Can you at least tell me your name?” Shuichi asked with a twinge of hope.

“My name is Gonzales, I’m a worldwide wrestling champion! I destroy anyone who steps into the ring, I’m unstoppable!” the main said with a fierce passion in his eyes as he flexed his scrawny arms.

“That’s not true.” Shuichi pointed out.

Plus he thought he had heard of someone named that in a video game once… maybe it was a coincidence.

The man seemed taken aback by such a quick response.

“Oh yeaaah, I forgot you’re a famous detective. Creeping in the night, chasing infamous villains and preventing the theft of precious jewels and ancient artifacts!” the man said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Angie had a look of genuine surprise and proceeded to get excited once again.

“Is it true? You could be in a comic book!” she exclaimed.

Shuichi groaned, how did this man always seem to get wound up so quickly?

“That’s not entirely true, I am a detective but right now I just take care of petty crimes.” he said with a sigh.

The purple haired man frowned and started to mockingly rub his eyes as if to wipe away invisible tears.

“Truly a disappointment, and here I was thinking I had an encounter with a celebrity.” he sighed.

Shuichi’s nerves were peaked now, this was all just to return a handkerchief and he wouldn’t even accept that.

“Seriously, can you just tell me your real name? I don’t really understand why you won’t at least say that. I know your name isn’t Gonzales, the handkerchief has a “K” embroidered in the left hand corner so I have a pretty fair guess your name starts with “K”. 

Angie once again shot a glance at the other man which had a more fierce look that he would have expected from someone with her bubbly personality. The man chuckled nervously, clearly taken off guard.

“Fine, fine. Ya got me, but my name isn’t quite as exotic as Gonzales. My name is Kokichi Ouma but please call me Overlord Kokichi, master of disguise!” Kokichi exclaimed passionately.

Shuichi rolled his eyes.

“I’m not going to call you that, Kokichi.” he groaned, rubbing his temples.

Kokichi stuck his lip out and pouted.

“Aaawww man, you’re no fun.” he said with a drawn out sigh.

“Atua wants to know your name too!” Angie exclaimed excitedly.

Who was this Atua person? Anyway, he guessed it was only fair that he revealed his name too after pressing the issue so hard. 

“My name is Shuichi Saihara, I’m not the most exciting person contrary to what Kokichi seems to think.” he admitted modestly.

Kokichi rapidly shook his head in disagreement.

“Don’t be silly, Saihara-chan! You’re the most exciting man I’ve met in my entire life!” Kokichi said with a glimmer in his eyes as he leaned forward with his chin resting on his hands.

Shuichi was about to protest before Kokichi started to giggle mischievously.

“That’s a lie of course, you are soooo boring.” he sighed.

Why was this response completely unsurprising? Probably because Shuichi had already begun to understand the purple haired man’s personality. Shuichi was always decent at picking up people’s demeanors but Kokichi made it obvious enough there was no speculation required.

“If you’re just going to sit here and make fun of me, can I please just return your handkerchief and go? I have work that needs to be done.” Shuichi said with a deep sigh.

Kokichi’s expression quickly morphed once again. Was that a hint of disappointment?

“I told you, that’s not mine. I would never wear something tacky like that. What is this? 2008?” Kokichi said, twisting his face in disgust.

Now Shuichi was really growing irritated.

“I saw it slip off when you ran away, there’s no mistaking it. The monogram has a “K” on it and the fact you admitted your name seems to prove otherwise.” he recalled.

Now Kokichi was the one who seemed irritated. Once again, his face changed into a devious smile.

“Fine, fine. Since you’re going to be a big baby about it I’ll admit it was mine but now I have given you the pleasure of it being a gift from me to you. Now you can always remember my beautiful face, my beloved Shumai.” Kokichi teased.

Shuichi could feel himself blushing which was horribly embarrassing. Angie once again laughed which only made him more embarrassed. Kokichi smiled wickedly, knowing that he had flustered the blue haired man.

“If you’re going to be so stubborn about it, fine. I don’t feel like arguing anymore, it’s giving me a migraine.” Shuichi groaned.

Kokichi’s smile dropped and there was a slight change of tone in his response.

“Well if you’re soOOOoo busy go do your fancy detective work and let my wife and I continue our very deep and important conversation.” he snapped.

Angie’s face lit up in surprise and even Shuichi was taken aback. Why did he feel a slight twinge of jealousy? There was no way he was serious... right?

“Well uh, alright. Have a good afternoon.” Shuichi said with a hint of disappointment.

Kokichi looked as if he felt guilty and Angie’s smile remained but there was a look of judgement in her eyes as she darted a glance towards Kokichi.

“Goodbye, my beloved! May we meet again!” Kokichi called out as Shuichi walked away giving a half-hearted wave.

Shuichi didn’t want to admit it, but he hoped so.  
—  
Once Shuichi had left to the opposite side of the shop Angie immediately slapped the back of Kokichi’s head causing him to smack his head against the table. He whined and rubbed his forehead.

“Owwww, Angie why are you being such a bitch?” he pleaded.

“Atua says that was very rude of you! He didn’t seem like a bad person, even being a detective.” she scolded.

Kokichi winced.

“You know that we can’t be friends with detectives, that wouldn’t be very smart considering our line of work. Besides, he seems kinda dense don’t you think?”

Angie frowned.

“Atua says that’s not true, he seems very intelligent even though he is a bit socially awkward.” 

Kokichi huffed and dodged looking into her eyes while slowly scanning to see if he could spot where Shuichi was sitting. He was so obnoxious and yet so intriguing. He had never had someone who would even try to communicate with him longer than a few minutes. This man not only held a conversation but was rather persistent, especially wanting to return his lost handkerchief.

“Why didn’t you take back your handkerchief?” Angie asked curiously.

“I don’t want him to have any trace back to D.I.C.E, as our leader I don’t want him causing us any trouble. It’s bad enough he ruined all the yummy cakes I stole for us.” he grumbled.

“He seems pretty harmless though, Atua doesn’t think he would cause us trouble.” she protested.

Kokichi didn’t respond, his gaze had already slowly drifted once he spotted where the young detective was sitting. He was sitting there casually sipping his coffee and typing away at his laptop, not seeming to take a single break. For a moment Kokichi could have sworn he slightly broke eye contact from his laptop to shoot a quick glance in his direction. He was surely imagining it. He broke out of his trance with Angie speaking up.

“He’s pretty cute, isn't he?” she teased.

Kokichi’s face went red and he huffed, trying to conceal his embarrassment.

“He’s not ugly.” he muttered.

“Nya-ha-ha~ Kokichi has a crush doesn’t he?” she laughed.

“No I don’t! I don’t do crushes, all that icky romance stuff. You know that, Angie.” he protested.

“Atua says you’re lying!” she said snickering.

Kokichi had a gut feeling she was right but he’d rather be caught dead than admit to a silly crush on a man he randomly bum—crashed into purely on accident. There was no way things would work out with a detective even if he wanted to pursue something. Shuichi was smart, and yes Kokichi was too but it was a different sort. It almost made him uncomfortable at how on point Shuichi could expose his lies. Normally people were a little too gullible and would almost always believe him even when the stories were outlandish. He smiled to himself as he remembered a childhood friend Kaito who would always believe him without a doubt and how his best friend Maki, a terrifying brunette, would rush to correct him. Kokichi hadn’t had many friends in school, mostly because in his early years he was significantly bullied which resulted in his dramatic change in personality. He discovered he would rather be despised for being a liar than being bullied for being weak. There was no way he would ever remove his mask, not even for this handsome detective. A fear was growing in his stomach that he was already starting to feel his mask crumbling.  
—  
When Shuichi got back to his apartment he could hear his roommates Kaito and Maki bickering in the kitchen. He sighed as he hung up his navy and black striped coat on the coat rack by the door and slipped off his business shoes. He was accustomed to the two arguing but that didn’t make it any less annoying. Shuichi knew that if he wasn’t there to diffuse them it would be much worse.

“I’m telling you Maki-roll, it’s a known fact that carrots make you see better!” Kaito argued.

“You’re such an idiot.” Maki scoffed with her arms crossed.

Kaito was tall and had spiky purple hair with a not so flattering goatee. He was very tall, tall enough to intimidate Shuichi even though he wasn’t much taller. Kaito had a problem of not wearing his purple jacket properly and always had one sleeve just hanging off his shoulder. Despite his almost rough appearance he had the attitude of a teddy bear, a not so bright one. Maki on the other hand was the opposite. She had dark brown hair in two long ponytails held up by large red scrunchies. She was kinda cute but had a very fierce personality and wasn’t afraid to call you out on anything. Her red eyes were also emotionless yet determined.

“Can you guys please stop arguing so loudly, I already have a headache.” Shuichi groaned as he plopped down at the kitchen table.

Kaito and Maki abruptly stopped and had curious looks on their faces.

“What’s up side-kick? Work giving you trouble?” Kaito asked.

“Not exactly, just a sort of annoying encounter with someone.” Shuichi said, trying to avoid details. He knew his attempt would be fruitless.

“Tell us, who is this person?” Maki demanded with a murderous look in her eyes.

Shuichi rapidly waved his hands back and forth in protest.

“I-It’s not that bad, it’s not a big deal, really.”

“Come on side-kick, you know me and Maki-roll are your best friends, you can open up about anything!” he said, grabbing the other girl by the shoulders despite her obvious annoyance.

Shuichi sighed.

“Well, yesterday I was walking to Kirumi’s Brew when some random guy ran into me running in from a literal alleyway on the sidewalk. He dropped a bunch of cakes and made a huge mess, he had the most annoying personality I think I’ve ever experienced.”

“Even more so than Kaito?” Maki asked.

“Wow that’s cold Maki-roll.” Kaito pouted.

“Yes, way more annoying. He was constantly lying and poking fun and was dodging all my questions, he left so fast that he dropped his handkerchief.” 

Shuichi pulled out the handkerchief from his bag to show the two and he detected a hint of disturbance on Maki’s face.

“That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Maki scoffed.

Kaito nodded, “Yeah, who let this guy wear something like that? I thought My Chemical Romance already broke up.”

Maki kicked his ankle and the taller man made a loud squeal out of pain.

“Never disrespect My Chemical Romance again that is, if you want to live.” Maki glared up at Kaito and shone at him with her murderous eyes.

“You deserve that. My Chemical Romance is top tier, the gods of the punkpop era. For your information they’re back together. Anyway... guys focus. I know right, and he has the nerve to call me emo.”

Kaito snorted.

“Anyway, continue.” Maki probed.

“Today I went back to the coffee shop and by complete chance I bumped into him and his friend there. I tried to return the handkerchief and he kept denying it was his and proceeded to draw out this long debate on his name and God knows what else. He refused to take it back and started viciously flirting with me insisting that I keep it.” he said with a drawn out sigh.

“Ay, kind of sounds like he has a crush on you.” Kaito teased.

“He sounds like a complete pain if you ask me. What does he look like?” Maki inquired.

Shuichi was a bit surprised she would ask that, she wasn’t the type to be interested in these sorts of conversations.

“He’s really short, probably close to 5’1 or so. His hair is a dark purple and styled in the most dramatic way, his eyes pretty much are the same shade of purple. His fashion is a bit atrocious but considering his personality it doesn’t surprise me.”

Maki and Kaito exchanged a quick glance and Kaito let out a dramatic sigh.

“Listen Shuichi, that guy is trouble. I wouldn’t go near him if I was you.” Kaito warned in an unusually stern tone.

Maki nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, his name is Kokichi Ouma and he’s big trouble and a nuisance. Me and Kaito went to school with him growing up. He wasn’t so bad when he was younger but something changed in him and he became a ruthless disaster, being horrible to everyone around him. He was always pulling pranks and ended up going too far. There was one time he snapped a guy’s wrist and he had to go to the hospital. Nobody knows if that was done intentionally but still, not worth your time and it’s potentially dangerous. He was still a kid then, now he’s an adult.” 

Shuichi was taken aback. Yes, Kokichi was obnoxious but dangerous? He couldn’t see it. He seemed more like a mischievous child than a vicious tormenter. He wanted to believe them for after all, they had been his best friends since university but for some reason he couldn’t find himself to fully believe this.

“A-are you serious? He really doesn’t seem that bad—“ Shuichi started before Kaito interrupted.

“He’s bad news, Shuichi. If you get involved with him who knows what he’s capable of. Plus, there’s been rumors he’s affiliated with a gang.”

Maki once again nodded.

“You’d be much better off avoiding contact with him. If he gives you any sort of trouble I’ll take care of him.” Maki threatened with a dark expression.

“Really guys, I appreciate your concern but I don’t think he’s that bad. I find it hard to believe someone as careless as him could be in a gang.” Shuichi protested.

“Don’t let him fool you, he’s always been good at putting up a front. Despite his juvenile behavior he’s dangerously cunning and intelligent. He fools everyone, don’t be the next one who falls for it.” Kaito warned.

Feeling uncomfortable Shuichi locked himself in his room to try to process all of this. He plopped down on the mattress with a deep exhale. He rolled over and clutched his pillows tightly and gave them a tight squeeze. There’s no way someone as childish and erratic as Kokichi could be involved in a gang and how could he possibly be strong enough to snap someone’s wrist? It would be impossible, right?   
Shuichi closed his eyes and let a few tears slip away as he fell asleep.


	3. Liars Have Friends Too, Ya Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi sure is acting suspicious...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :-) leave feedback!!

Kokichi was lazily draped over the table in the lounge of the D.I.C.E headquarters. It had been only a few hours since his encounter with the detective but he was still replaying their conversation over and over. He really was interested right? Kokichi loved attention of any sort but this was new. 

“What’s the deal, fuckin’ moron? Why are you moping around like a piss baby? Shouldn’t we be planning our next move?” a tall blonde woman cursed.

“Shut up, trashy pig whore! I’m the boss here not you.” he snapped back.

“Do you guys really have to do this every day?” a man with disheveled green hair and droopy eyes said with a sigh. 

“He’s the one who doesn’t do his fuckin’ job!” the blonde protested.

“I’ll decide when and what our plan of action is! I’m busy thinking right now, alright?” Kokichi grumbled.

Angie pranced in with a peppy smile.

“Kokichi’s in love!” she exclaimed.

The blonde and green haired man turned curiously to grill him and Kokichi immediately flushed and directed his gaze to the opposite end of the room. 

“Hmph, I wouldn’t say that. Don’t go spreading bullshit, Angie. You can’t tarnish my bad boy reputation.” he sighed.

“Literally no one thinks that.” the green haired man sighed.

Kokichi scowled.

“Shut up, Rantaro. This is all your fault!” he exclaimed.

Rantaro’s face lit up in surprise.

“What do you mean? I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“If it hadn’t been for your bakery’s delicious cakes I wouldn’t have run into him.” he grumbled.

Rantaro laughed, “Why did you even bother to steal them? You know I can bring them back whenever.”

“What’s the fun in that? I like to feel like a dangerous criminal, running from the law.” Kokichi whined.

“I’m pretty sure nobody would take stealing cakes as a serious offense.” Rantaro said with another laugh.

Kokichi huffed and leaned back in his spinning chair putting his arms behind his neck.

“Well I still think it’s fun.” he muttered.

“By the way, you didn’t mention who “he” is.” Rantaro persisted curiously.

Angie’s laugh pierced the room as Kokichi’s face once again flushed.

“He’s a handsome detective!” she exclaimed enthusiastically.

The blonde girl and Rantaro both seemed a bit nervous.

“The fuck you doin’ hanging out with a detective? You tryna make us all get locked up?” she snapped.

“I didn’t meet him on purpose!” Kokichi snapped back. “I wasn’t paying attention when I was making my grand escape through the alleyway when I smacked into him on the sidewalk. I accidentally dropped my handkerchief when I left so today when me and Angie went for coffee for our strategy meeting he just so happened to come in.”

The blonde looked very pissed off now.

“You left behind evidence?! You fuckin’ moron, why are you in charge anyway? Even Gonta would do a better job than your clumsy ass.” she snapped.

“Shut up Miu, you flirt with any officer on spot I’m surprised our whole organization hasn’t been disbanded by your clumsiness you pig.” Kokichi snarled.

“Can you two please stop? I’m not sure why you’re so worked up about this anyway. Is it true Kokichi, do you really like this guy?” Rantaro asked, raising his brow in suspicion.

Kokichi rapidly protested.

“Of course not! Don’t be silly, Rantaro. You know you’re the only man for me.” he sighed dramatically.

Rantaro sighed and shook his head.

“Why is it that we never can get a direct answer from you?” 

Kokichi didn’t respond and let out an irritated huff as he headed off into his room. His wall was scattered with papers connected with strings and dots with lots of childish drawings and headlines from local newspapers about D.I.C.E. He messily sketched a clumsy drawing of the detective and scribbled “Trustworthy?” beneath it. He admitted to himself he was intrigued at the least. He felt like there was something deeper but he refused to accept it. At least for now.  
—  
Later in the week Shuichi was typing away at his next report at the coffee shop once again. A short man wearing blue and black stripes and a pointy cat-like hat had recently stolen a large amount of tennis supplies at a nearby department store. Why that was his objective, was unclear. Shuichi sighed, he wished his assignments were at least slightly exciting. He was suddenly disturbed when he felt someone plop down in the seat across from him. When he looked up he wasn’t surprised to see the short purple haired man grinning with a bright smile. That just had to be fake.

“Good morning, Mr. Detective? Busy solving the world’s most complicated crimes?” he teased.

Shuichi frowned. It was too early for this.

“Why are you here?” he grumbled.

He hated to admit that he was somewhat excited to have another interaction with him.

“I always come here!” he smiled.

“Then why have I never seen you here until this week?” he questioned suspiciously.

Kokichi giggled and started swinging back and forth in his chair.

“Ni-shi-shi~ Good observation, I only started coming here because I get bored easily. I used to frequent another coffee shop but I was getting tired of the same atmosphere. Plus, it’s a bonus to get to stare at such a pretty boy like you, Shumai.” Kokichi said with a dramatic sigh while fluttering his eyelashes.

Shuichi blushed, trying to conceal his face behind his laptop but he had a feeling the other man noticed despite his efforts.

“Well I guess it’s not the worst thing running into you.” Shuichi muttered grudgingly.

This surprised Kokichi and Shuichi could have sworn he saw a light pink tint cross his cheeks.

“Ewww, don’t be so mushy. You remember Angie’s my wife, remember?” Kokichi persisted with a determined look on his face.

Shuichi felt a pang of jealousy. He wasn’t buying it though.

“I’m not entirely sure I believe you.” Shuichi protested.

“Hmmmm, why not?” Kokichi asked curiously while tilting his head.

Shuichi’s face went completely red. His reasoning was sort of uh, embarrassing. He wasn’t working off an astute observation but more of a whim.

“W-well, uh, to be honest, she doesn’t seem like your type.” Shuichi muttered sheepishly.

Kokichi cocked his head in the opposite direction in a cat-like manner.

“Whatever do you mean? Reveal your deductions, Mister Detective!” Kokichi demanded while slamming his fist on the table.

Shuichi started to sweat nervously. Maybe this was a mistake. But now he was cornered and he had a feeling he was going to be pressed about the issue until he answered. Kokichi smiled excitedly awaiting his response.

“I just er—don’t really get the impression that women are your type.” he mumbled.

Kokichi’s face went entirely red, there was no denying he was flustered. It looked like Shuichi had hit the nail with the hammer.

“Wh-what? Don’t be ridiculous, Angie’s my wife after all.” he sputtered and chuckled uncomfortably.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel weird. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Shuichi sighed.

“Well, uh, I mean, I guess... you might be right.” Kokichi admitted right before hastily adding in another defensive comment, “But you’re not my type, I don’t date emos.” 

“I didn’t even ask if I was your type.” Shuichi said clearly annoyed.

“Yeah but I can read your mind, Saihara-chan.” Kokichi said with a smirk.

Shuichi was flustered. He didn’t want to admit he was curious about that, he definitely didn’t want to admit defeat to Kokichi that’s for sure. He knew he would never hear the end of it.

“You’re full of yourself, aren’t you?” Shuichi sighed.

Kokichi laughed as he started kicking his legs in the air.

“Wow, Mr. Detective! You really are smart, aren't you? Ni-shi-shiii~” he cackled.

Shuichi was slowly getting more annoyed as the conversation continued.

“Why do you always have to be so rude to me? What did I do to make you such a nuisance?” he snapped.

Kokichi stopped laughing and there was a slight look of disappointment before he turned away and crossed his arms.

“You ruined my precious cakes made by my precious friend. Plus, I find it very entertaining to see how far I can push my limits with you.” he teased as he gave a mischievous grin and pressed his finger against his lips.

Shuichi sighed.

“You know that was entirely your fault. I don’t see why you’re interested in harassing such a boring guy as myself.”

Kokichi scowled and Shuichi could tell his response was genuine.

“You aren’t boring. Why would I waste my time annoying some random, bland guy. You’re interesting.” he protested.

Why was that comforting to hear? And why was he complimenting him all of a sudden? Kokichi had literally told him just mere days ago that he was boring.

“Thanks, I guess.” Shuichi mumbled.

Kokichi rapidly shifted subjects.

“So, when are you taking me to lunch?” he asked.

The blue haired man was taken aback and Kokichi laughed at his mouth dropping open.

“W-what?” he stammered.

“You’ve been flirting with me so much, I know you can’t resist me.” Kokichi said, dramatically flipping his hair.

Shuichi was visibly embarrassed.

“You’re the one who’s been flirting.” he protested defensively.

“You’re right, but you’re the one who’s been sooOOOoo interested in getting to know me.” the shorter man teased.

Shuichi knew this was going nowhere and the longer he protested the more persistent Kokichi would get. He sighed as he shut his laptop and Kokichi’s eyes lit up and he started gleefully clapping his hands. Before Shuichi could say anything else the shorter man had already grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the shop.

“I know a great place on 45th street.” Kokichi exclaimed excitedly.

“Ah, you mean Hope Café?” Shuichi questioned.

“That’s the one! I’m personal friends with the owner, but he’s a bit wacko. Try not to fall in love with him. I know you have a knack for the crazy ones, ni-shi-shiii~” Kokichi chuckled.

“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?!” he protested.

Kokichi cackled as he started swaying their hands as they were still interlocked. Why wasn’t Shuichi breaking free? Nothing was forcing him to keep holding the other man’s grasp but for some reason it was comforting.

“You’re going to lunch with me, aren’t you?” he smirked.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say you’re crazy, a bit on the irritating side but not crazy.” Shuichi objected.

Kokichi huffed in annoyance.

“Hmph, that wasn’t very nice Shumai.” he said with a scowl.

Shuichi sighed, why did he constantly call him pet names? He could hardly imagine they were already on that close of terms. Was Kokichi just messing with him? What if Kaito and Maki were right and this was just an elaborate prank? This didn’t settle well in his stomach.  
-  
The two arrived at the café, Kokichi opened the door and gestured dramatically for Shuichi to enter first. What was this mocking chivalry? Once inside they were immediately greeted by a man with fluffy silvery grey hair with muted light green eyes. 

“Ah, Kokichi. What a hopeful day for someone like you to stop by my humble restaurant. Surely you must be stooping low to visit someone such a garbage human like myself. Today must be my lucky day!” the man said in an exuberant tone despite his words.

“Awww it’s always a disappointment to run into you, Nagito!” Kokichi said with an evil grin.

Nagito let out a half-hearted chuckle while glancing into his own palm.

“Ahaha, I should’ve expected a response like that from you. Go ahead, be seated wherever you like.” he said, gesturing to the tables around him.

“Thanks, trash man!” Kokichi said playfully while winking.

Shuichi was humiliated already. Was Kokichi always this rude?

Once they sat down Shuichi pried.

“Do you always act like that? Didn’t you say he was your friend?”

Kokichi pouted. “Relax, Saihara-chan. Trust me, he’s waaaay more annoying if you try to compliment him. He’s not a bad guy, he just is overly self depreciative to the point it’s exhausting.”

This slightly reassured him but still not fully. The words of his friends were still nagging him in the back of his mind.

“If you say so.” he mumbled.

Kokichi shifted uncomfortably, noticing the tone difference in Shuichi’s response.

“So, Mr. Detective, I think I’m going to order every desert on the menu!” he exclaimed excitedly with his usual sparkling eyes.

Shuichi groaned.

“If I’m paying you better be lying.”

“Ohhhh, so you’re going to pay for me? How generous! You’re already in love with me I can tell.” Kokichi taunted while twisting one of his long strands of hair around his index finger.

For some reason Shuichi found that attractive. Despite his sort of vulgar behavior there was a certain appeal in his sassiness. How someone his stature could carry such a strong demeanor that seemed to intimidate everyone around him was beyond Shuichi.

“Good afternoon, how can Gonta help you?” 

They were greeted by a tall muscular man with glasses and long brown flowing hair. He had kind eyes and seemed pure-hearted, Shuichi could already tell.

“What’s up shit head? Are you ready for me and my beloved Shumai’s very complicated orders or do i need to write them down?” Kokichi teased.

Once again Shuichi was taken aback. The other man’s face ruffled with confusion.

“Gonta will do his best!” he exclaimed determinedly.

“Ni-shi-shiii~ I expected as much, Gonta. I’m just ordering a huge stack of chocolate pancakes completely drenched in syrup with a pile of bacon on the side.” Kokichi said with a smug expression.

“It’s almost 3pm, are you really ordering breakfast?” Shuichi said, already exasperated. 

Kokichi frowned.

“It’s never too late for breakfast.”

“Well, I guess I’ll order your spinach omelette.” Shuichi sighed.

Gonta nodded and headed off to the kitchen to place the two’s orders.

“I still don’t understand how these people want to be your friends, you sure don’t seem to treat them very well.” Shuichi commented with a look of disappointment.

Kokichi shifted uncomfortably and refused to make eye contact.

“Sometimes I wonder that too,” he said quietly.

Now Shuichi felt a pang of guilt, he didn’t realize someone with such a bold personality could be self conscious about his behavior. It seemed as if he had no regrets but now Shuichi wasn’t convinced.

“Well, uh, I’m sure you have at least a few redeeming qualities.” Shuichi added trying to lighten the mood.

Kokichi rolled his eyes.

“Wow thanks, I feel soOOoo much better.” he scoffed.

“I’m here spending time with you aren’t I? You haven’t necessarily been that nice to me either.” Shuichi consulted attempting to reconcile.

Kokichi turned back to face him with a peak of interest shining in his eyes.

“That’s because I’m irresistible! Everyone knows that.” he said with a giggle.

Well it sure didn’t take long for his confidence and ego to return. At least it wasn’t going to be awkward anymore, well so he hoped.   
Gonta promptly returned with their dishes and Kokichi scowled.

“Gonta you doof, I told you blueberry pancakes!” he exclaimed, tears welling up in his eyes.

Shuichi gasped in shock. 

The waiter began nervously rubbing the back of his neck, “So sorry, Kokichi. Gonta could have sworn you said chocolate. Let Gonta fix it.”

Kokichi snickered, “No it’s fine Gonta, that was a lie. It looks amazing!”

Gonta sighed in relief and gave a cheerful grin.

“Gonta is glad! Enjoy your meals.”

He bowed gracefully before heading back to the kitchen. Kokichi’s grin spread as he immediately started scarfing the food down. Shuichi was almost impressed but also disgusted.

“You really like to torment him, huh?” Shuichi questioned.

Kokichi nodded, his mouth stuffed full of pancakes.

“Gonta is sooOOoo stupid.”

Shuichi was about to scold him before Kokichi continued.

“But he’s very sweet, he would never hurt a fly. Literally. He loves bugs, he always complains how there’s hardly any bugs in the city. Apparently he grew up way out in the countryside, he claims he was raised by reptiles but I don’t buy it honestly.” 

Shuichi smiled. Out of all the things Kokichi had said this seemed to be genuine.

“Ah, so have you known Gonta a long time?” he asked.

Kokichi shook his head.

“No, not really. Nagito hired him a few months back, probably out of pity honestly. He only recently has started being a decent waiter. He started out in the kitchen but he was always shattering dishes and causing a mess. He used to drop his tray and forget orders but now he’s doing a lot better.”

Shuichi was impressed, even though Kokichi wasn’t very inept with emotions it was obvious he had at least a small level of respect for Gonta. Maybe that was just Kokichi’s warped way of letting people know he cares. Shuichi was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t notice the other man snap a picture on his phone before quickly stowing it away. 

The two finished their meals and Gonta proceeded to return with the check. Shuichi reached into his pocket to fish out his wallet when he heard Kokichi protest.

“Wait, Saihara-chan! I was only joking about you paying, I can do it.”

Shuichi shook his head, “No, I said I was going to do it.” 

As he handed Gonta his card he didn’t miss as the other man shot Gonta a quick glare. The waiter nervously pushed the card back.

“Not to worry, it’s on the house.” Gonta stuttered.

Kokichi’s grin spread wide across his face.

“Awwww, Gonta! You’re so thoughtful.” he chided.

Shuichi rolled his eyes, completely aware of what had just transpired. Kokichi had some sort of spell on people but it didn’t help that Gonta wasn’t necessarily the smartest. If he had told Gonta to join a cult he probably would.

Kokichi waved goodbye to Nagito and the others as he and Shuichi exited the restaurant. Shuichi didn’t want to admit it but he was a little sad that their date—hang out at lunch was over. Kokichi stalled in front of the restaurant and Shuichi wondered if it was intentional.

“It was uh, surprisingly nice having lunch with you.” Shuichi said with an embarrassed chuckle.

Kokichi’s smile shone bright.

“Ni-shi-shiiii~ I warned you not to fall in love with me Shumai.” 

Shuichi blushed which made the purple haired man giggle. How was he so casual about saying things like that? How much of it was genuine?

“I should get going, my roommates will be wondering where I am if I’m not home soon.” Shuichi sighed.

It was obvious that Kokichi’s face fell and that he was disappointed. Shuichi felt some relief at that, at least he wasn’t the only one. 

“Fine, I don’t wanna see your ugly face anymore anyway.” he replied, childishly sticking out his tongue.

Shuichi let out a small laugh which caught the other man off guard. He realized then that even though Kokichi had said some funny things this was the first time he had actually laughed in front of him. This proceeded to make Kokichi blush again and break eye contact. Shuichi didn’t have to see Kokichi’s face to know that he was smug about finally making him laugh out loud. 

“Hey Saihara-chan, maybe next time you can take me home and show me off to your roommates. Show them you know how to bag sexy men!” Kokichi teased.

This alarmed Shuichi and unfortunately it must have shown because Kokichi appeared to have lost confidence in his smile.   
It wasn’t that he was necessarily ashamed of Kokichi, but more of concern of Kaito and Maki’s reaction. Kaito would just be loud and obnoxious but Maki was unpredictable, due to her tragic past. Shuichi dreaded that there was even a possibility she might harm Kokichi if things went south. How could he explain that to Kokichi? If he knew they were his roommates would Kokichi even want to still communicate with him? He didn’t know what to say, he decided to come up with a half-assed lie.

“Well, uh, my roommates both work night shifts so they are pretty busy and have hectic schedules.”

Kokichi did not look pleased.

“You’re lying.” he said in a low voice.

Shit! How did he notice? Was Shuichi really that bad of a liar or was Kokichi just used to lying to the point he could figure it out that quickly. Now how was he supposed to come back from that? Shuichi let out a small nervous laugh and started rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ah, hah, you’re right, sorry.” 

Kokichi’s face remained the same.

Now Shuichi felt really awkward. He didn’t know what to say and was scared to worsen the situation. Why did he feel so obligated to fix this? Surely he wasn’t actually that serious about being shown off, it’s not like they were a couple or anything. 

“I’m going to head home, don’t tell your roommates I said hello.” Kokichi said dryly. 

Shuichi opened his mouth to say something but clamped it back shut. This was his only exit, he might as well let him go. 

“It honestly was nice spending time with you Kokichi.” he said, hoping to regain some favor.

Kokichi’s eyes flashed for a second but his expression was still flat. He waved goodbye and headed in the opposite direction leaving Shuichi standing alone on the sidewalk.   
Shuichi sighed as he turned to walk back to his apartment. Had he already screwed up?  
—  
Kokichi was lying on his blue race-car bed staring at the checkered ceiling above him. Spending time with Shuichi had been the highlight of his day, yet he felt unsettled about how the meeting ended. Why was he lying about his roommates? Was Shuichi embarrassed by being seen with him?  
He frowned to himself. This shouldn’t be a big deal, Kokichi was used to people disliking him, or even hating him. But for some reason this stung. Why was it so important to him that he had Shuichi’s approval? He grabbed his pillow and clutched it tightly to his chest and sighed. Something was different about this man yet he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around it.   
He reached over to his side table and pulled off his phone lying on top. He opened it and scrolled to the candid photo he had taken of Shuichi earlier that day. He giggled to himself, for a detective he sure didn’t seem to figure that one out. He smiled looking at the picture of the handsome man clearly staring out into space. Who let a guy have such gorgeous eyelashes anyway?   
Now Kokichi debated what to do with the photo. Does he dare to post it on social media? He took a deep breath as he typed in a caption to post it on his instagram. He was fairly certain Shuichi didn’t follow him so what did he have to lose? He finished typing and posting it, feeling proud of himself.

“Looks like I captured a handsome detective today! I’m a thief alright, because I stole his heart ;)” 

He knew he was posting this for himself, but also because he wanted to brag about going to lunch with a cute guy. That’ll show Miu.   
Before his thoughts could continue his door was swung open which made him jump in surprise. His face formed into a scowl when he saw Rantaro and Kiibo come in. 

“So, when were you going to tell us?” Rantaro asked with a frown.

“Kokichi, it is uncommon for you to hold back such important information.” Kiibo, the boy with white hair and blue eyes declared.

Kokichi was confused.

“What the hell are you talking about? Also, don’t fucking barge into my room like that! You could have killed me!” he gasped in mock horror.

Rantaro and Kiibo both groaned.

“You literally just posted a picture of a cute guy with teal hair that you said is a detective!” Kiibo exploded.

“Is this the guy you told me about?” Rantaro pried.

Kokichi let out an exasperated sigh, that’s why he shouldn’t have posted it. He should have known the real questions weren’t going to be from Shuichi or Miu but his other nosy subordinates. He sat up and crossed his legs, knowing well aware he was going to have to at least explain some things.

“Okay, listen up. I will tell you some things because you are my friends but let me remind you who’s in charge of this organization. I do not owe you any explanation of my personal life and that won’t change.” Kokichi warned in a grave tone making his dark face once again.

Both other men stood nervously but both nodded in understanding. Kokichi then resumed back to his normal cheerful disposition.

“Okay! Now that we’re all on the same page let me tell ya some of the juicy deets. Yes, Rantaro this is the guy I was talking about the other day.”

“Ooooh, is this cake guy?” Kiibo asked Rantaro.

Rantaro nodded.

“Cake guy...?” Kokichi questioned before making an angry face. “Have you been talking about my beloved behind my back?”

Rantaro let out an airy, nervous chuckle and waved his hand in protest. 

“No, not necessarily. I mean, I haven’t been at least.” 

Kokichi realized what he was insinuating and flopped back with a groan. He hadn’t even considered how Miu had been there for this conversation too which made it obvious who had spread the news.

“Miu’s such a fucking bitch! Of course she’s going to spread shit, how many others has she told?” he demanded.

Neither man spoke.

“Everyone?!” he gasped in genuine horror this time.

“Sorry, Kichi. I tried to talk her out of it but she was mad at you for being so careless plus you know Miu, she takes any gossip she can get. Especially involving anyone attractive.” Rantaro apologized.

Kokichi let out a drawn out sigh. 

“Fine, fine. I suppose it’s not your fault, after all Rantaro you’re my most loyal follower.” 

Kokichi blew a kiss to Rantaro which caused him to laugh, but Kiibo wasn’t amused.

“Aren’t you going to elaborate as to why you just referred to him as your beloved?” Kiibo probed.

“Hmmm, yes I was wondering the same thing. Wasn’t it just the other day you were slamming him for being a detective?” Rantaro asked curiously.

Kokichi knew this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation but he was already regretting exposing himself like that. He didn’t want to admit he had just a small crush on Shuichi, he didn’t want to admit that to himself none the less.   
Rantaro was Kokichi’s first member of D.I.C.E. and he had seen everything. The worst parts of Kokichi’s past he had witnessed and still stuck to his side nonetheless. Kiibo was the second to join. At first he and Kokichi didn’t get along but having Rantaro around always diffused the situation. They had listened to Kokichi pour his heart out many times, and they had even seen him cry a few times. That was the only reason Kokichi felt like he could be honest with them about this situation, but even then, he was nervous.

“I-I, well...” Kokichi started nervously.

“It’s okay Kichi, we’re just here to support you. We’re not trying to tease you for this, we just want to know because we care about you and your well being.” Rantaro reassured.

Kokichi smiled weakly and nodded.

“Well, I didn’t really expect for this to happen, but he’s actually... really sweet. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, he listens to me and puts up with me constantly teasing and lying and today I even made him laugh?? I’m pretty sure he has brain damage.”

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, boss! You’re definitely a handful but you’re not that horrible to be around.” Rantaro comforted.

“Hmph, that’s not saying much, you’ve been chill since the very start. I can’t say that for the others, especially Tenko. We all know she only joined so she could be closer to Himiko and she was jealous of Angie.” Kokichi scoffed.

Rantaro laughed and even Kiibo who was usually stoic cracked a small smile.

“Okay, okay. You made your point, but aren’t you glad that he’s so tolerant? I don’t really see why that’s a bad thing.”

Kokichi’s face fell and refused to make eye contact with the green haired man.

“I... I just don’t know. I’m not used to people actually putting up with me and enjoying my company. Plus, even so he was acting strange about the idea of me meeting his roommates.”

Kiibo gasped.

“You’re already trying to go to his place?! Are you crazy? Haven’t you known him a week?”

Kokichi blushed and even he realized how irrational that was. Maybe Kiibo had a point, was he just jumping the gun on this whole situation? Shuichi seemed like the type to be nice and polite to everyone, was he just treating him the same way?   
Rantaro sensed his discomfort and decided to move the conversation along, dodging Kiibo’s comment.

“What did he say about his roommates?” he asked.

“He lied about them. I told him he should show me off to his roommates to show he could bag sexy men—“

“Did you really say that?” Kiibo interrupted while slapping his palm against his forehead.

Rantaro was holding back a laugh but he wanted the story to continue so he decided to leave it.

Kokichi flipped off Kiibo before continuing.

“Anyway, thanks for your rude interjection Kee-boy. So like I was saying, when I told him that he got really nervous. He made up some bullshit saying they had night shifts so they had really busy schedules.”

“Do you really know he was lying?” Kiibo asked.

“Of course I do, dummy! You know that I’m the master of lies, I can’t stand when other people lie. I can detect lies the instant someone says them.” Kokichi replied with a scowl.

“He has a point, I remember how Ryoma complimented our new outfit designs but Kokichi snapped because he was definitely lying. We all know he thought they were hideous.” Rantaro added.

“ANYWAY. Why would he lie? It makes me feel like he was embarrassed to be seen with me.” Kokichi pouted.

“That’s underst—“ Kiibo began before Rantaro cut him off.

“I’m sure he had a good reason, you of all people should know that not all lies have bad intentions.”

Kokichi knew he was right but he didn’t want to accept that. For some reason this felt more personal. Was Shuichi hiding something?


End file.
